April 2, 2026, 11:01 p.m. ET
Detroit — Only a truly invested fan would make a detour to their favorite team’s home state while on a road trip.
And that’s exactly what Ashley Korpela of Oklahoma did when she recently visited the D Shop in downtown Detroit to grab Detroit Tigers merch for herself and her boyfriend. The occasion: to mark the return of a pitching ace, Justin Verlander, to the rotation.
“We’re excited Verlander is coming back to Detroit,” Ashley Korpela told The Detroit News. Her boyfriend “used to have a very old Verlander shirt that he wore to shreds, so we want to update it now that Verlander is back and just signed that contract.”
What better excuse to grab more team gear? The Tigers’ home opener at Comerica Park on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals comes amid high expectations for the playoff-caliber team and uncertain April-in-Detroit weather. Still, Accuweather reports temperatures could touch the 70s as retailers and fans nurse high hopes for a team that reached the postseason in each of the past two years.
Ashley’s mom, Susan Korpela of Massachusetts, joined the party, too, picking up multiple T-shirts and hoodies for the other baseball fans in her family. They took pictures outside the ballpark before shopping at the sports retail store.
“We came out because Verlander is now with Detroit, and my daughter’s boyfriend has followed Verlander for all of his career, so we’re shopping for their merch,” Susan Korpela, 62, said at the store. “She’s looking for her Verlander shirt.”
Unfortunately, Ashley Korpela didn’t find it. But she did buy an orange Tigers shirt for her boyfriend. Orange is the new predominant look in new alternate jerseys released this year. They will be worn by the Tigers at all Friday games, except this week’s home opener, when the team is set to wear its traditional white home jerseys.
A storied Major League franchise known as the oldest team in the American League, the Detroit Tigers have remained in their original city under their original name since 1901. They are ranked No. 22 on Forbes’s list of MLB’s most valuable teams: $1.8 billion. Forbes says the revenue per fan is $210.
Still, jerseys worn by star Tigers like two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal didn’t break the top 20 in sales last year, according to MLB.com. Topping the list: Shohei Otani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts of the champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
That doesn’t much matter to Tigers season ticket holders Rick and Marta Szymanski of Grosse Pointe, who stopped by the shop to beat the crowds the day before the season kick-off. The Tigers ended the season’s first game victorious over the San Diego Padres in a 5-2 win on March 27, but returned to Detroit for their opening home stand with a record of 2-4
Staff at the D Shop said popular names include pitchers Skubal and Verlander on white and orange jerseys stocked at the store. The retailer added a new hat wall with options to add a patch to any Tigers hat, as well as a customization zone where fans can add any name and number on a blank jersey that can be scouted at the store next door to Comerica Park.
The couple complimented the new merchandise at the store, including the new focus on the alternate colors.
Rick Szymanski, 62, bought another blue zip-up Tigers hoodie to add to his collection of team merchandise, including a satin Tigers embroidered road jacket from 1999. Marta Szymanski, 60, was looking for a white jacket with Detroit embroidery, but said it’s been sold since she last visited the store.
Rick Szymanski will keep his eyes on player movement this upcoming season: “I like the fact that the manager, (A.J.) Hinch, moves everybody around so he doesn’t have one person playing one position like the other managers did … mixing everybody up. It keeps the guys fresh, gives them days off so they can rest because a 160-game season is grueling.”
Greg Every is the owner of Fanatic U in Detroit. His store is currently sold out of alternate jerseys and is building up inventory to restock this week before the home opener.
“We had less than a dozen, but they sold out in less than a week,” Every said. “There’s been so much (Kevin) McGonigle (inquiries), it’s been overwhelming” — a sign of the fan enthusiasm being generated by the rookie infielder with a big bat.
Road jerseys, which are triple-colored, are more expensive to acquire, so Fanatic U shoppers are mostly copping home jerseys for $150 with names like McGonigle being a top pick, Every said: “This week right now what’s really popular is the orange, blue and white T-shirts, long-sleeve hoodies, a lot of those we get every year for Opening Day.”
mjohnson@detroitnews.com